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“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah was arrested Tuesday for alleged money laundering and defrauding hundreds of seniors in a telemarketing scam. But his alleged victims weren’t the only ones getting faked – as were Bravo fans.
The 47-year-old star quickly rose to fame for her flamboyant fashions and friendship faux pas – both equally loud – in Season 1 of the latest entry in the “Real Housewives” franchise.
However, the $ 3.9 million rental in Salt Lake City that she widely passed off as the “SHAH SKI CHALET” never actually belonged to Shah, The Post has learned.
Instead, the 9,420-square-foot home featured on the show is owned by Texas-based real estate rental company Univesco Inc., which is owned by limited liability company RJW Capital Investors.
Yes, it was (GASP!) A rental: Property records uncovered by La Poste reveal that Univesco Inc. has owned the house since 2014.
And as any true fan knows, in the Real Housewives world, few things are more shameful than renting your own home. After all, Bravo Daddy Andy Cohen once shaded those who choose to praise.
“I don’t understand the concept of renting at all,” the executive producer of “Real Housewives,” 52, told Forbes in 2019. “It’s just wasting money. Especially a huge house. I do not understand.
Steven Frey of Univesco told the Post that she had no idea Shah promoted the property as his own on the show. A separate spokesperson exclusively managing their properties in Utah is expected to provide more details later.
Bravo himself may have been fooled as well, considering they had no hesitation in promoting the chalet on the show, including a featured article. (Network representatives declined to comment on The Post.)
“At the series premiere on November 11… Jen Shah threw a lavish party at her house, but before she even transformed the mansion (which she calls the ‘Shah Ski Chalet’) for her castmate’s birthday. Meredith Marks, our jaws fell on her insanely. wonderful house, ”the article gushes.
While this went largely unnoticed at the time, speculation that a of the show’s housewives were renting property to film like wildfire last year on fan blogs and podcasts.
But there was even gossip in the inner circle of housewives: during a February 12, 2020 episode of “Weekly Dose of BS”, hosted by Brandi Redmond and Stephanie Hollman, star of “Real Housewives of Dallas,” Redmond revealed that she knew someone the “RHOSLC” hired.
“I know one of these ladies is renting a house,” teased the red-maned Redmond. “I do not know [who it is] because I don’t know the actors but I know that one of them is a tenant because they rent my friends’ house.
Shah reacted in his signature over-the-top style to Redmond’s comments on Instagram – after a helpful fan page shared an audio clip of his comments.
“Is this what everyone gets their thong about bcuz [sic] their irrelevant? Or is it because they wish they could pay the rent, own 4 more houses, and have an apartment in New York? Shah wrote in the comments section of a now-deleted Instagram post at the time.
In a later post, she continued to wax poetic: “You wanna come for me with your red hair and your bulls – t, come louder darling. You are about to taste SHAH SQUAD and I’m not kidding. PERIODT. “
Note: The Post could not find any documents to support Shah’s claims that he owned four other properties and an apartment in New York City.
However, the sprawling chalet house featured on Bravo was on sale in 2019, until the five-bedroom, six-bathroom cast was taken off the market – apparently around the time Shah started filming for the broadcast, according to documents.
According to the listing, the wood-frame house is equipped with “three large master suites, each with its own fireplace and sitting area, and two additional suites.”
However, outside of reality TV, and in real In fact, Shah’s longtime home is located in Sandy, Utah, which she owned with her husband, Sharrieff Shah, from 2004 until she sold it at a loss in June 2020. They initially bought the house. house for only $ 302,069. It sold for $ 213,000.
Currently, records indicate that Shah and her husband are renting space for around $ 8,000 / month in Park City – which looks a bit like a mini-me from his TV house – which they moved into shortly after moving. sold their 16 year old home.
Shah and his assistant Stuart Smith, 43, were arrested by the federal government for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money. If found guilty, they face up to 30 years in prison.
“Shah and Smith have flaunted their lavish lifestyles to the public as a symbol of their ‘success’,” Homeland Security Investigative Special Agent Peter Fitzhugh said in a statement.
“In reality, they would have built their opulent way of life at the expense of vulnerable, often elderly, working class people.
The Southern District of New York indictment claims Shah and Smith carried out a telemarketing program with co-conspirators who operated in five states – New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
A representative for Shah declined to comment on his arrest.
According to the indictment, hundreds of victims, many of whom were over 55, were tricked into investing in shady projects and business services that included coaching sessions, tax preparation services and web design.
Worse yet, many of those targeted did not own a computer.
The alleged scheme took place from 2012 until this month.
“At no time did the defendants intend to ensure that the victims actually get the promised return on their intended investment, and neither did the victims obtain such returns,” the act says. accusation.
Her debacle on the set comes a long way from January, when Shah gushed about her business, announcing that she was launching a program called “Social Commerce,” to help women in need amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are helping women pivot and evolve their business towards quarantine and COVID,” she explained at the time. “To help them further stabilize their business through online sales, because their physical stores are closed… We have worked with women, so you will see some of them come out, hear their stories and see how we are helping their businesses grow.”
Maybe she should have taken her own advice.
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